Coulomb's Law

Visualizing the electric force between two point charges.

The Concept: Electric Force

Coulomb's Law describes the fundamental force between two stationary charged particles. The force is directly proportional to the product of the two charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

This simulation shows that like charges repel and opposite charges attract.

How to Use the Lab

Drag the charges (q₁ and q₂) to change the distance between them.
Use the sliders to adjust the magnitude of each charge.
Use the +/- buttons to flip the sign of each charge.
Observe the labeled force vectors change in both magnitude and direction.

Controls

Charge 1 ($q_1$): 5 µC

Charge 2 ($q_2$): -5 µC

Force Calculation

$F = k \frac{|q_1 q_2|}{r^2}$